U.S. patent number 3,894,682 [Application Number 05/410,261] was granted by the patent office on 1975-07-15 for container with filling opening and closure means therefor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Gilman Paper Company. Invention is credited to Arnold C. Harmsen.
United States Patent |
3,894,682 |
Harmsen |
July 15, 1975 |
Container with filling opening and closure means therefor
Abstract
A container, such as a bag formed of paper or the like, is
formed with an opening through which a tube or other type of
filling member may be inserted for the purpose of conveying
material into the container. The filling opening of the container
is generally defined by opposing flexible panels which can be
spread apart by the insertion of the filling or tube member. In one
embodiment, a closure sleeve is disposed within the filling opening
of the container and is secured to the opposing panels defining the
filling opening. At its inner end, the sleeve is formed of flexible
and resilient material which is so constructed as to curl up on
itself in its normal state, thereby serving to close and seal the
filling opening of the container. When it is desired to fill the
container, the filling member is inserted into the filling opening
and through the sleeve member so as to uncurl the inner end of the
sleeve member for the purpose of opening it. In this manner,
material may be introduced through the filling member or tube into
the interior of the container. In a second embodiment, a single
closure sheet rather than a sleeve is secured to one of the panels
defining the filling opening, and the inner portion of the closure
sheet is formed of flexible and resilient material that is normally
curled upon itself as to engage the inner portion of the other
panel defining the filling opening to thereby close the filling
opening.
Inventors: |
Harmsen; Arnold C. (Closter,
NJ) |
Assignee: |
Gilman Paper Company (New York,
NY)
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Family
ID: |
26953890 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/410,261 |
Filed: |
October 26, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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269783 |
Jul 7, 1972 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
383/50; 383/47;
383/57; 383/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
31/147 (20130101); B65D 31/145 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
30/24 (20060101); B65d 031/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/62.5,65 ;150/9 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Price; William I.
Assistant Examiner: Garbe; Stephen P.
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
269,783, filed on July 7, 1972 now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Closure means for a container having a filling opening, said
closure means comprising:
a first portion disposed within said filling opening and secured to
the portion of the container defining said filling opening, and
a second flexible and resilient portion disposed within said
container that is so constructed as to normally curl upon itself
and engage said container portion to close said filling opening,
said second portion being temporarily secured to an adjacent
portion of said container so as to be maintained in a flat,
uncurled condition before a filling member is inserted in said
filling opening.
2. The closure means of claim 1 wherein said second portion is
adhesively secured to the adjacent container portion.
3. A container having a filling opening defined by opposed portions
thereof, and closure means for said filling opening, said closure
means comprising:
a first portion disposed within said filling opening and secured to
one of said container portions, and
a second flexible and resilient portion disposed within said
container and being so constructed as to normally curl upon itself
and engage the other of said container portions to close said
filling opening, said second portion being temporarily secured to
an adjacent portion of said container so as to be maintained in a
flat, uncurled condition before a filling member is inserted in
said filling opening.
4. The container of claim 3 wherein said closure means is a
flexible sleeve and said first portion thereof is secured to both
of said opposed container portions.
5. The container of claim 4 wherein said sleeve surrounds said
filling opening and is adapted to receive therethrough a container
filling member to uncurl said second portion thereof and open said
filling opening.
6. The container of claim 3 wherein said closure means is a
flexible sheet.
7. The container of claim 6 wherein said sheet surrounds a portion
of said filling opening and is adapted to be uncurled by the
insertion of a container filling member into said filling opening,
thereby opening said filling opening.
8. The container of claim 3 wherein the other of said container
portions is a movable flap that is separable from said one
container portion to enable a container filling member to be
inserted into the container through said filling opening.
9. The container of claim 3 wherein said second closure means
portion is formed of flexible material and a flexible and resilient
wire member is secured thereto to cause it to curl upon itself.
10. The container of claim 3 wherein said second portion is
adhesively secured to the adjacent container portion.
11. The container of claim 3 wherein said container has a sidewall
with a longitudinal lap seam, and said filling opening is located
in the portion of said seam near the upper end of said
container.
12. The container of claim 11 wherein the end of said first portion
of said closure means is disposed outwardly of said seam and
adjacent the side of said container.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to containers with filling
openings and, more particularly, to such a container having closure
means for normally closing the filling opening, the closure means
being opened by the insertion of a filling member into the filling
opening of the container.
In containers, such as flexible bags or the like, normally used for
the packaging and shipping of granular materials, or the like,
there is normally provided a filling opening for the purpose of
enabling the container to be filled by inserting a filling spout or
tube into the filling opening. In many cases, such containers are
not provided with means for closing the filling opening after the
container has been filled, and the pressure of the contents of the
container against the portions of the container defining the
filling opening must be relied on for the purpose of at least
partially closing the filling opening. In such containers,
therefore, the contents are subject to contamination, and spillage.
When these filled containers are moved or handled, the contents
tend to shift, thereby resulting in partial spillage or leakage of
the contents through the partially opened filling opening. While
the amount of such spillage or leakage may be small for each
container, the total amount of such spillage or leakage may be
quite substantial for a large number of containers, and this
spillage or leakage of the contents may cause outside contamination
in the areas these containers may be stored.
Certain types of containers, such as flexible bags or the like,
have been provided with means for sealing or closing the filling
openings after the containers have been filled with the contents
thereof. In some cases, however, an additional manual or machine
operation has been required to effect closing of the filling
openings of the containers after they have been filled, thereby
resulting in additional expense and increased handling time. In
other cases, the closure means for the filling openings have added
to the complexity of the containers and thus have made them more
difficult and expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a simple and inexpensive closure
means for the filling openings of containers, such as bags or the
like, which will serve to close the filling openings automatically
after the containers have been filled. This need has not been met
by the containers with filling openings that have been utilized in
the past and at present.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a simple and inexpensive
closure means for the filling openings of containers such as
flexible bags or the like. In one embodiment, a sleeve having a
flexible and resilient inner portion is secured to the opposing
portions of the container defining the filling opening thereof. The
inner portion of the sleeve is formed so as to be normally curled
up on itself in such a manner as to normally close the filling
opening of the container. When it is desired to fill the container,
a filling spout or tube is inserted between the opposing portions
of the container defining the filling opening and into the sleeve
mounted within the filling opening, thereby expanding the sleeve
and spreading the opposing portions of the container apart. The
insertion of the filling tube into the sleeve serves to uncurl its
inner end, thereby opening the filling opening and enabling the
container to be filled. Thereafter, as the filling tube is
withdrawn from the filling opening of the container, the flexible
and resilient inner portion of the sleeve again curls up on itself
to close the filling opening automatically. In this manner,
contamination and spillage of the contents of the container are
effectively prevented, and exterior contamination is also prevented
to improve the environmental condition in the areas where the
containers are filled, used or stored.
In a second embodiment, a sheet rather than a sleeve is disposed
within the filling opening and secured to one of the opposing
portions of the container defining the filling opening. The sleeve
is provided with a flexible and resilient inner portion which is so
constructed as to normally be curled up on itself and in engagement
with the other opposed portion of the container defining the
filling opening, thereby closing the filling opening. In this case,
when a filling tube is inserted between the opposed portions of the
container defining the filling opening to spread them apart, the
filling tube also serves to uncurl the inner portion of the sheet
disposed between the opposed portions of the container to separate
the curled portion from the other opposed portion of the container
and to thereby open the filling opening and enable the container to
be filled through the filling tube. Thereafter, as the filling tube
is removed from the filling opening, the inner portion of the sheet
again curls up upon itself and engages the other opposed portion of
the container to again close the filling opening automatically.
In a third embodiment, one side of the end of the inner portion of
the sleeve is adhesively or otherwise secured to the adjacent
portion of the container so as to maintain the normally curled
inner sleeve portion in a substantially flat, uncurled condition.
By maintaining the inner sleeve portion in this flat uncurled
condition, the bag-forming and handling operations are facilitated
since there is no curled portion on the sleeve which might
interfere with or complicate the forming or handling operations.
The securement of the sleeve portion to the adjacent container
portion is sufficiently weak as to be broken when a filling spout
or tube is inserted within the sleeve. After the insertion and
removal of the filling spout, therefore, the flexible and resilient
inner sleeve portion curls up on itself to close the filling
opening in the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container constructed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention, showing a
filling tube introduced into the filling opening thereof;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially
along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1, showing the filling spout in a
partially inserted position;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the filling spout in a
fully inserted position within the filling opening of the
container;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 4--4 of
FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing the filling spout
removed from the filling opening of the container;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing an alternate embodiment
of the container of the present invention, with the filling spout
in a fully inserted position within the filling opening of the
container;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the alternate
embodiment of FIG. 6 with the filling spout removed from the
filling opening of the container;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of one embodiment of a
sleeve or sheet for closing the filling opening of the container of
the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a partial side elevational view in section showing
another embodiment of the container of the present invention before
the filling spout is inserted therein;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a container,
with parts broken away, showing the end of the inner sleeve portion
before the filling spout is inserted therein;
FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9, showing the filling
spout in a fully inserted position within the sleeve and filling
opening of the container;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 12--12
in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a container, showing a further
embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 14 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken substantially
along line 14--14 in FIG. 13.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the container
may be in the form of a bag 10 formed of any suitable material such
as single or multi-ply paper or the like. The bag 10 may be of any
suitable or desired general construction. As shown in FIG. 1, the
bag 10 may comprise front and back panels 12, side panels 14, top
panels 16 and bottom panels (not shown).
The top and bottom portions of the bag 10 are of generally flat
construction, and the side panels 14 are provided with fold lines
18 for the purpose of facilitating the flattening of the bag when
it is empty so as to occupy a minimum of space during shipping and
storage. The top panels 16 are overlapped and secured together in
any suitable manner to close the upper end of the bag 10. Each of
the side panels 14 is provided with a flap 20 that extends inwardly
under the overlapped top panels. At one side, the side panel flap
20 is secured to the overlapped top panels 16 so as to close and
seal that portion of the container. On the other side, the side
panel flap 20 is not secured to the overlapped top panels, thereby
defining a filling opening 22 therewith. For the purpose of
securing the side panel 14 to the top panels 16 adjacent to the
filling opening 22, the side panel flap 20 is provided with
extensions 24 that are overlapped and secured to the underside of
the overlapped top panels 16.
The side panel flap 20 adjacent the filling opening 22 is so
constructed as to be normally in a position closely adjacent to the
overlapped top panels, thereby serving to close or substantially
close the filling opening of the container. The fold line 18 in the
side panel 14 extends into the flap 20 for the purpose of
facilitating deformation or folding of the flap 20 to enable a
filling member, such as a tube or spout 26 to be inserted into the
interior of the bag 10 through the filling opening 22 between the
overlapped top panels 16 and the side panel flap 20.
In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 through
5, a closure sleeve 30 is mounted within the filling opening 22 and
is secured in any suitable manner to the overlapped portions of the
flap extensions 24, secured to the top panel 16, and to the
adjacent portion of the side panel flap 20. The closure sleeve 30
is formed of any suitable material, such as paper or plastic, and
is provided with a flexible and resilient inner portion 32 which is
so constructed as to normally curl up on itself to close the
filling opening 22 in the manner specifically shown in FIG. 5. The
curling tendency of the inner portion 32 of the closure sleeve 30
can be accomplished in any suitable manner, such as by forming the
sleeve 30 of plastic material and winding the inner portion 32 of
the sleeve around a mandrel while heating it to give it a thermal
set. Alternatively, the sleeve may be formed of other types of
flexible materials, such as paper, and provided with a wire 34
secured to the inner portion 32 thereof for the purpose of normally
curling up the inner portion as shown in broken lines in FIG.
8.
As a further embodiment, the closure sleeve 30 may be formed of a
combination of a flexible and resilient material, such as a
suitable plastic, and paper or another lightweight material. For
example, the upper portion of the sleeve 30 could be formed of the
flexible and resilient material and the lower portion could be
formed of paper or another lightweight material which is in
overlapping relation with the upper sleeve portion. In this manner,
the curling of the upper portion, owing to its resiliency, causes
the lower portion to curl up with the upper portion to close the
filling opening 22. Alternatively, the lower portion could be
formed of a flexible and resilient material and the upper portion
could be formed of paper or another lightweight material.
When it is desired to fill the bag or container 10, the filling
tube or spout 26 is inserted into the filling opening 22 and the
closure sleeve 30 to separate the side panel flap 20 from the top
panels 16, in the manner shown in FIG. 2. As the filling tube 26 is
further inserted into the bag 10, it causes the inner portion 32 of
the closure sleeve 30 to uncurl so that the filling tube 26 can be
inserted completely through the closure sleeve 30 and into the
interior of the container 10, in the manner shown in FIG. 3.
Thereafter, the bag or container 10 can be filled with the material
to be packaged by feeding the material through the filling tube
26.
After the bag 10 has been filled with the material being fed
through the filling tube 26, the filling tube is withdrawn from the
closure sleeve 30 and the filling opening 22. As the filling tube
26 is withdrawn from the inner portion 32 of the closure sleeve 30,
the inner portion 32 automatically curls up in the manner shown in
FIG. 5 to again close the filling opening 22. When the filling tube
26 has been completely withdrawn from the sleeve 30 and filling
opening 22, the side panel flap 20 moves upwardly towards the top
panel 16 and the inner portion 32 of the closure sleeve 30 curls up
against and under the side panel flap 20 to maintain it in a closed
position and to positively close the filling opening.
It will be readily seen, therefore, that the closure sleeve 30 and
side panel flap 20 normally serve to close the filling opening 22
of the bag or container 10. When it is desired to fill the bag 10,
the filling opening 22 is readily opened by merely inserting the
filling member 26 into the filling opening 22 and through the tube
30. After the container has been filled, and the filling tube 26
has been withdrawn from the filling opening 22, the sleeve 30 and
side panel flap 20 move to the closed position to automatically
close the filling opening 22.
A modified embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 6
and 7. In this modified embodiment, a closure sheet 300, rather
than the closure sleeve 30, is utilized as the closure for the
filling opening 22. The closure sheet 300 is secured in any
suitable manner to the overlapped flap extensions 24 adjacent the
top panel 16, and is provided with a flexible and resilient inner
portion 302 that is so constructed as to normally curl up upon
itself in the manner shown in FIG. 7. The closure sheet 300 may be
formed of the same materials and in the same manner as the closure
sleeve 30 shown in FIGS. 2 through 5 and 8.
In operation, the closure sheet 300 functions in substantially the
same manner as the closure sheet 30. When the filling tube 26 is
not inserted into the filling opening 22 of the container, the
inner portion 302 of the closure sheet 300 curls up against the
side panel flap 20 to positively close the filling opening, as
shown in FIG. 7. When the filling tube 26 is inserted into the
filling opening 22, it serves to uncurl the inner portion of the
closure sheet 300 to open the filling opening 22 and to enable the
bag to be filled with material through the filling tube.
Thereafter, when the container is filled and the filling tube 26 is
removed from the filling opening, the inner portion 302 of the
closure sheet 300 again curls up against the side panel flap 20 to
automatically close the filling opening.
An additional modified embodiment of the present invention is shown
in FIGS. 9-12. In this embodiment, the container or bag 110 and the
closure sleeve 130 are substantially identical in construction to
the bag 10 and closure sleeve 30 shown in FIGS. 2-5. Accordingly,
the bag 110 comprises top panels 116 and side panels 114 having a
flap 120 extending inwardly under the top panels. For the purpose
of securing the side panel 14 to the top panels, the side panel
flap 120 is provided with extensions 124 that are overlapped and
secured to the underside of the top panels. On one side, the side
panel flap 120 is not secured to the top panels to define a filling
opening 122 therewith.
The closure sleeve 130 is mounted within the filling opening 122
and is secured in any suitable manner to the overlapped portions of
the flap extensions 124, secured to the top panel 116, and to the
adjacent portion of the side panel flap 120. Like the closure
sleeve 30, the sleeve 130 is provided with a flexible and resilient
inner portion 132 which is so constructed as to normally curl up on
itself to close the filling opening 122 in the manner shown in FIG.
5.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the bag 110 is formed and before a
filling spout is inserted therein, the end of the inner sleeve
portion 132 is adhesively or otherwise secured at its upper surface
to the adjacent portion of the top panel 116 to prevent it from
assuming its normally curled up position. As an illustrative
example, the end of the inner sleeve portion 132 may be secured to
the adjacent top panel 116 by any suitable adhesive applied in any
suitable pattern such as the pair of spots 133 shown in FIGS. 9 and
10. By maintaining the inner sleeve portion 132 in a flat, uncurled
condition before filling of the bag 110, the bag forming and
handling operations are facilitated.
When a filling spout or tube 126 is inserted within the sleeve 130
to fill the bag 110, the adhesive bond or other securement between
the inner sleeve portion 132 and the adjacent top panel is broken,
as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, owing to the deformation or expansion
of the sleeve by the filling spout. After the filling operation and
removal of the filling spout 126 from the sleeve 130, therefore,
the flexible and resilient inner sleeve portion 132 is free to
assume its normal curled-up position to close the filling opening
122 in the bag 110, in the manner shown in FIG. 5.
A further modified embodiment of the present invention is shown in
FIGS. 13 and 14. In this embodiment, the closure sleeve 230 is
disposed within the upper portion of the longitudinal seal 209 of a
bag such as a gusset-type bag 210 having folded-over end seams 211.
The closure sleeve 230 is substantially identical in construction
to the sleeve 30 shown in FIGS. 2-5. The bag 210, for example,
comprises a multi-ply sidewall formed into front and rear panels
213 and side gusset panels 215. The front or rear panel 213 is
overlapped to form the longitudinal lap seam 209.
The closure sleeve 230 is secured in any suitable manner to the
adjacent overlapped portions of the panel 213 in the seam 209.
Preferably, the longitudinal seam 209 is located near one side of
the bag 210 so that the outer end of the sleeve 230 can be located
closely adjacent the side of the bag with only a small portion of
the sleeve extending outwardly of the seam 209. In this manner, a
filling spout or tube may be conveniently inserted within the
sleeve 230 and the possibility of damaging the outer portion of the
sleeve owing to handling of the bag is minimized.
Similarly to the closure sleeve 30, the sleeve 230 is provided with
a flexible and resilient inner portion 232 which is so constructed
as to normally curl up on itself to close the filling opening in
the longitudinal seam 209, as shown in FIG. 14.
When a filling spout or tube (not shown) is inserted within the
sleeve 230 to fill the bag 210, the inner sleeve portion 232 is
uncurled to allow the inner end of the filling spout to enter the
interior of the bag. After the filling operation and removal of the
filling spout from the sleeve 230, the inner sleeve portion 232
will again assume its normal curled-up position shown in FIG. 14 to
close the filling opening in the seam 209.
Within the scope of the present invention, the sleeve 230 could be
replaced by a closure sheet such as the sheet 300 shown in FIGS. 6
and 7 and hereinbefore described.
While the container of the present invention has been shown and
described herein as a flexible bag, it is noted that, within the
scope of the present invention, the container may be formed of any
suitable shape or material, and may be of any suitable
construction. In other words, the present invention is applicable
to various types of containers having a filling opening of the
general type described herein.
* * * * *